Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The dangerous fruit

As I wrote yesterday, in order for me to identify anything and this includes fruits and vegetables, I  have to touch it.  I have to get to know things by feel, shape, smell, texture.  My family was very good always at letting me touch everything.  It can take a long time for a blind person to examine something thoroughly.  If you think about looking at something, you can take in its features at a glance.  I cannot do this.  I need to examine it by running my hands over it which can take some time.  By the time I was 12 or 13, I thought I had touched most grocery items.  One day, I was looking on the kitchen counter for a fruit to snack on.  I ran my hands all around the counter.  Then, I touched something.  Something hairy.  It must be some kind of animal!  Some hairy beast!  When I touched it, it moved.  I screamed for my mom to come and see. 
"There is an animal here.  On the counter." 
"I can't see any animal." 
"It was there.  All hairy and it moved when I touched it." 
She started to laugh. 
"Is it this?" she asked placing something in my hand. 
Oh it was the hairy thing!  I hated the feel of it. 
I screamed again.  "Yes that's it."  She laughed and laughed and told me it was a kiwi fruit.  I had eaten kiwi fruit but I had never touched a whole and unpeeled one.  When I touched it, it must have rolled away slightly.  I'm not afraid of them anymore.  But, whenever I peel one, I laugh to myself.

1 comment:

  1. I love your posts! I love learning more about being blind. And your tone is superb: at once insightful, simple and playful. Oh, and so thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks Kim!

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